_p.png)
Have an interview for you before your Thanksgiving holiday with a supergroup that goes by the name of People On Vacation! The group consists of Bowling For Soup's Jaret Reddick and Ryan Hamilton, who meld together an insanely catchy blend of pop-rock that is destined to spew out earowrms that will take a hold of you and infect you with some seriously catchy and melodic driven hooks omnipresent at every turn. Ryan was nice enough to take some time out of their busy schedules to do a quick interview as we get to know a little bit more about them and the process behind the making of their new album, "The Chronicles of Tim Powers". Here is the transcript from our little talk:
Give us your names and your roles in the band? Ryan Hamilton - Vocals, acoustic guitar
How did you meet to form People on Vacation? Jaret showed up at a show my former band was playing at SXSW. Before we knew it, we (Smile Smile) were on tour with Bowling For Soup... and I used to escape the misery of my former band by spending time on the BFS bus. Jaret and I were quick friends. Before we knew it, we were writing songs together and starting a new band!
What is the musical basis for the group and what musical artists inspired it? That's tough, because we make sure this band has "no rules". Jaret and I have VERY different musical backgrounds.
How is your music different than that from some of the artists who are similar in nature to your own musical style? I think combining our 2 very different musical backgrounds and styles creates a unique sounds that really works... When really, it probably shouldn't. Haha. Punk rock and indie/acoustic artists aren't supposed to work this well together. As least I don't think they are. Haha.
Describe some of the challenges that comes with writing or recording material and how you've learned to overcome them? We work really well together, there haven't been many "challenges" ... unless you count us arguing about piano parts. Because neither of us really know how to play piano. But we definitely have a lot of piano/keyboard parts on the album. Haha.
What was the recording process like for "The Adventures of Tim Powers" and how fun the whole experience was for you? It was really enjoyable and A LOT of fun. All of the songs came from extremely personal experiences. I think that comes across on the album. Thought there were some "serious" moments while recording, we had a blast making the album.
Do you have any favorite tracks off the new record that you think people will especially enjoy? I've never been more proud of an album. That's for sure. My favorite songs alternate between a few. If I have to pick one, I think "We Shoulda Made It" just might be my favorite.
What do you guys do for fun in your spare time when not making music? We seem to consume A LOT of alcohol no matter what we're doing together. Haha. When I'm not doing POV related stuff, I really like to draw and paint.
What's coming up next for you guys in the new year, any tour dates or upcoming events you'd like to plug? We have a UK tour in Feb/March we're really excited about and we're making US tour plans as well!
Lastly, what is the one thing about music that you enjoy the most? One of my favorite things about music is that a song can take you back. It can take you back to a specific time or place... and make you feel exactly the way you felt in that moment. Music is a time machine. I love that.
Thanks once again to Ryan for taking some time out to do this interview. It's great to hear from rising artists and get a sense of where their music derives from and how it's based in the realm of just ahcing a fun time and letting all their worries and inhibitions go out the window. For more on People On Vacation, 'Like' them on Facebook here and keep an eye out for "The Adventures of Tim Powers" out on December 9th!